Education, From The Capitol To The Classroom

Stories about students: How does education policy affect the way students learn and grow? Can schools meet their needs as they balance ramped-up testing with personal changes and busy schedules? And are students who need help getting it?

Stories about educators: How are those responsible for implementing education policy in schools − from classroom teachers, to district administrators, to school board members − affected by changes at the top? And how well do they meet their challenge of reaching students with varying abilities and needs?

Stories about school assessment: With an increased push for 'accountability' in schools, what can test scores tell us about teacher effectiveness and student learning − and what can't they tell us? What does the data say about how schools at all levels are performing?

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Stories about government influence: Who are the people and groups most instrumental in crafting education policy? What are their priorities and agendas? And how do they work together when they disagree?

Stories about money: How do local, state, and federal governments pay to support the education policies they craft? How do direct costs of going to school − from textbooks to tuition − hit a parent or student's bottom line? And how do changing budgets and funding formulas affect learning and teaching?

IREAD-3 Pass Rates Consistent, Schools Remediate Differently

April 29, 2014 | 3:02 PM

Students who don't pass the IREAD-3 in the spring have a second chance to pass the test during the summer.

The Department of Education released IREAD-3 data today that shows a slight increase in pass rates from last year.

(We’ve posted statewide results in two easily-searchable tables. You can search for results by school or district.)

The test is supposed to determine whether third graders can read well enough to move on to the fourth grade, but not all students who fail will be held back.

About 86 percent of Indiana third graders passed the IREAD-3 test this year, only a slight increase from last year. State law gives students who fail the spring test a chance to retake the test over the summer. If they don’t pass, they have to take the test again the following spring.

In some school districts, that means making the student repeat third grade or participate in reading remediation throughout fourth grade.

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Elkhart Community Schools Communication and Data Director Shawn Hannon says what happens to a child after failing the IREAD-3 varies depending on what’s right for the student.

“They will be a third grader, regardless of where they are,” Hannon says. “Some are in a third grade classroom, some are in a third grade homeroom and fourth grade for some subjects. Some are the other way around, if it’s more appropriate for them to be in a fourth grade homeroom and then getting Language Arts instruction in third grade.”

Jackie Kuhn, director of English language arts for Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation, was a principal in the district last year. She says her school had a different approach to retention for students who failed the IREAD-3.

“In the eyes of the state they were still coded as third graders, however they took third grade content but also had third grade ELA,” Kuhn says.

State superintendent Glenda Ritz, who openly opposes the IREAD-3, says she’s pleased by the increase in passing rates.

“Today’s numbers are another sign of the great work that is happening in our schools every day,” Ritz wrote in a statement. “These numbers show that year by year, we have continued to see modest increases in our passage rate. More importantly, they show that we are promoting a culture of literacy throughout our state. Moving forward, I will continue to promote literacy and reading throughout all of Indiana.”

Most schools offer tutoring for students who failed the test. IREAD-3 make up tests begin this summer.